This invention generally relates to imaging systems and more particularly, to methods and systems for enhancing the visualization of plaque using a medical imaging system.
Deaths due to cardiovascular cause number greater than 500,000 annually in the USA, and much more globally. A major portion of cardiovascular related deaths are attributable to coronary artery disease, where the chief culprit is the build up of plaque, specifically soft-plaque and its ruptures. Typically in x-ray or non-contrasted CT, soft-plaque is not easily detectable. Calcified plaque on the other hand has been used as a surrogate for the presence of soft plaque, with the reasoning being that calcified plaque is a by product of ruptured plaque. Coronary plaque has been classified into six stages according to the Stary scale. It is generally considered important to determine the plaque in stages 4 and 5 as they constitute the most critical vulnerable plaque and could lead to rupture or dislodging of the plaque causing blockages leading to Myocardial infarction (MCI). The gold standard for determining plaque and its constituency is intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), however it is only performed on symptomatic patients due to its invasive nature. Symptomatic patients are already at an advanced stage and past non-invasive therapy options.